Keeping Score: Sports fans have reason to say Bah, Humbug'

FOR SOME there is nothing but doom and gloom hanging over them ... as we move into the heart of the holiday season.

We are not talking about those consumed by fear that the end of the world will come on Dec. 21, as predicted by the Mayan calendar.

And we are not talking about those who are afraid of heights, as the fiscal cliff draws nearer.

We’re not even talking about the staunch Republicans, who have been in a state of severe depression ever since the presidential election on November 6.

We are talking about a much more serious issue — one that consumes a huge sector of the local populace. We are talking about the passionate, emotional sports junkies of the area ... who are watching the Philadelphia professional sports scene crumble all around them.

Talk to these people and you might be inclined to encourage them to put the Suicide Prevention number on speed dial.

For starters, talk to some of the bartenders at sports bars in the area -- the ones who have to watch the local tragedy as part of their daily jobs. Then they have to deal with all of the depressed customers, who can’t locate their usual dose of solace from the bump and grind of daily life. Watching Philadelphia professional sports over the last year has been like watching a chain reaction car crash.

FIRST there was the amazing disappointment of the “unbeatable” Phillies ... who didn’t even make it to the playoffs last season. Their slide from the glory of the 2008 World Series championship has been steady and humiliating. Over the last four years the Phillies can be legitimately tagged with the label of Most Underachieving Team in baseball.

Turn the page to the Eagles — a team by many picked to be in the Super Bowl this year.

For most of Andy Reid’s tenure as head coach the Eagles also can be termed an underachiever. Only the Super Bowl season, and possibly the season before, could people say the Eagles played up to their full potential. But, even in the spotlight of the Super Bowl, the Eagles disappointed fans by losing with a number of bizarre subplots determining the outcome.

Ever since, it has been high expectations and less-than-expected results. Now, the entire franchise is in shambles and we could be looking at a number of years before things get better.

The Flyers have provided a few glimmers of hope in recent years but all of that has been dashed by the NHL lockout that has hockey fans crying in their hot chocolate. Nothing good can possibly come from the current situation.

Finally, the 76ers were supposed to provide a ray of sunshine during this gloomy year. Head coach Doug Collins is the darling of the current group of people managing Philadelphia sports teams. He has a number of young and exciting players.

But the first portion of the season has exposed the 76ers as a grossly incomplete team — with irreparable holes in the starting lineup and a lack of quality depth. They will struggle to make the playoffs again this year.

SORRY to be producing such a litany of bad news at a time of year when people should be looking for something joyous. The last thing we want to do is bring about more depression at a time of year when suicides often reach peak numbers.

So, in an attempt to turn frowns into smiles ... raise the spirits of those who hold sports on a sacred level ... restore a sense of dignity to a town that is feeling bad about itself ... here is the antidote.

It could be a lot worse.That’s the best I can do at this point. No sense whistling past the graveyard. The Philadelphia professional sports scene is in the toilet.

But, believe it or not, it could be worse.

LET ME TAKE YOU BACK to the year of 1972. Richard Nixon had just won his second term in the White House. Spiro Agnew was still vice president, keeping himself busy by launching daily attacks on Vietnam war protestors. “Sanford and Son” starring Redd Foxx made its television debut. Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra and Early Wynn were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

And the Philadelphia professional sports teams suffered their worst collective year in history.

To be a Philadelphia sports fan in 1972 was akin to being addicted currently to Hostess Twinkies. Or to being president of the Lindsay Lohan Fan Club. It was Disaster City.

The Phillies finished with the worst record in baseball at 59-97 -- a level of ineptness that got manager Frank Lucchesi fired.

The Eagles followed that with an NFL-worst 2-11-1 record -- also resulting in the firing of head coach Ed Khayat at the end of the season.

Roy Rubin didn’t even last until the end of the year at the helm of the 1972-’73 76ers. His team set an NBA record for futility ... putting together an unbelievable 9-73 record.

The Flyers were the lone beacon of hope on the Philadelphia sports scene. After finishing dead-last during the previous season, owner Ed Snyder hired a little-known coach by the name of Fred Shero to turn around the franchise fortunes. His team responded with a 37-30-11 record that year — far from great, but a world above the level of incompetency displayed by the Phillies, Eagles and 76ers.

So, there you have it — a positive spin on a bad situation. No matter how bad it seems currently, it could always be worse. Those with a long memory — and a penchant for dwelling on the most negative issues in life — remember it well.